But some reports suggested its Monday fashion show — which was covered extensively in the Canadian media — was also a distraction from the reality about how its 150 younger new recruits were being treated.

Social media criticism followed the press coverage that pointed out the fact that the cash-strapped Air Canada has asked them all to pay for an enhanced training program from Disney.

To their credit, the airline has made an effort to set the record straight to anyone who publicly expressed discontent with the idea.

@mg_yates Hi Maria, Air Canada rouge is paying for the training, flight attendants are covering only the cost of incidentals while in Disney

Customer service bootcamp for the first 150 attendants hired for Air Canada rouge — which will fly its first route on Canada Day — will include a week at in Orlando, Fla. after standard procedures are reviewed in Toronto. Employees are paid minimum wage throughout their training.

The airline revealed that the bill for the Mickey Mouse immersion will be footed by the employees: $1,764, or $49 a month deducted from their $22.99 per hour paycheques over a three-year period.

But those who leave the job — which is paying a lower wage than the standard Air Canada salary — in under 36 months will be on the hook for the outstanding balance.

Renee Smith-Valade, vice-president of customer experience for the airline, has been at the forefront of the efforts to counter any negative feedback.

The concept for rouge involves establishing an environment in which passengers feel like they are in a holiday state of mind as soon as they boarded the plane, she explains, which motivated the company’s decision to seek extra expertise from Disney.

Successful applicants were informed about plans to make them pay for these incidental fees — covering accommodation, travel and meals — associated with the program after management decided it would be better for employees to head down to the U.S. to experience Disney culture for themselves.

And none of them expressed any resistance toward the offer.

Air Canada rouge responds on Facebook

Moreover, the $1,764 that Air Canada is charging the employees doesn’t cover the full amount of what they’re receiving, considered to be a hospitality business equivalent of a graduate degree from Harvard — that’s how Smith-Valade describes it, anyhow — which any subsequent employer in the airline industry would likely be impressed with.

Smith-Valade estimates that the $1,764 sum is around 20 per cent of what the airline has deemed its value to be. (The actual amount being paid to Disney for the training has remained confidential.)

As for the cost of the new uniforms, Air Canada has retained a policy of providing employees with their first work wardrobe free of charge — and charges half of the cost of each replacement item.

Presumably, the new flight attendants will find out in time whether those fedoras are built to last.